Getting Nowhere and Happy About It
Category: Cycling/Running/Fitness...
Posted Tuesday, June 22, 2004 at 05:24 PM [GMT-6]

If you've been keeping up, you recall that back in February I injured my knee in an unfortunate encounter with a rather antagonistic tree. It was quite painful for several weeks and I probably should have seen a doctor, if only to ensure that I didn't have enough disposable income for another ski trip. Fortunately, the injury was such that it didn't materially affect my ability to bicycle, and I could still limp around the park with Abbye, so things were tolerable.

What I couldn't do, however, is run. I'm not that big a fan of the sport (unlike MLB who has a serious addiction to it and really should be seeking counseling, iykwim), but I will concede that running offers certain benefits over cycling that can't be ignored. For one thing, it's not an equipment-intensive sport; shoes and shorts pretty much covers things (no pun intended). It also provides a workout for different muscle groups. Believe me when I tell you that you cannot adequately train for a cycling event by running, nor vice versa...but you'll come closer to success doing the former than the latter.

Running is also an impact sport, and while your joints will confirm that that carries significant downsides, it also is beneficial for maintaining bone mass, something you young punks don't understand nor care about, but you will, laddies...you will. It's a little disconcerting to contemplate the fact that some elite cyclists in their 30s are already showing early stages of osteoporosis, because their primary workouts do nothing to address bone loss.

Of course, the main thing I've missed by not running is the half hour or so on the treadmill, where my mind is free to wander down any path it so desires, although if the truth be told, it tends to spend most of its time empathizing with my body's mournful protestation of what I'm putting it through.

So, it's with great pleasure that I announce that I am back on the treadmill, and feeling good, if a tad sore. In fact, I climbed on for the first time a couple of weeks ago, but only today have I been able to run at a pre-injury pace and duration, which is my official benchmark for recovery. How did I celebrate? Well, by watching a vintage edition of "Tremors 3: Back to Perfection" on DVD whilst "enjoying" my workout. This straight-to-video sequel is really a quite entertaining movie, and you could do much worse than renting it.

Anyway, it's good to be back on the ol' treadmill. But one of the things I'm most proud of is the fact that I had the discipline to wait more than three months before trying it out. Presumably, with age comes wisdom. I've found that to be rarely the case in my own situation as I seem to have only perfected the process of committing the same mistakes...but every now and then, I surprise myself. I did learn long ago that there are some things you can't comfortably rush. Shaving with a blade is one of them, and recovering from an injury is another. But, as is often the case if we'll have the patience to prove it, the wait is worthwhile.